Amazing Spider-Man #32/996 is a visual triumph that unfortunately gets dragged down by its own narrative loops. Patrick Gleason’s artwork continues to be the absolute best part of the book, delivering dynamic and spectacular visuals that carry the weight of the entire issue. However, where the art shines, Joe Kelly’s story stumbles back into exhausting and repetitive territory, retreading the classic “don’t tell Aunt May, think of her heart” trope. Not to mention his Guardians Lite as the main conflict lacks any real narrative stakes. Makes this feel like a ridiculous, over-the-top cage match or WrestleMania piece that exists solely to shoehorn everyone’s favorite cosmic fighters into the plot. In fact, the MMA-style setup is so absurd that even Fuecoco has to drop a review concert on it at the 3-minute mark of the video. To make matters worse, Symbie is completely reduced to low-brow comic relief (like he wasn’t before), leaving readers to wonder what the character actually contributes to the story besides burping and farting. It is a gorgeous book to look at, but the writing remains stuck in a frustratingly familiar holding pattern.
Read’s Reads Amazing Spider-Man #32/996 Review
